Hopkinsville man pleads guilty after damaging downtown church statue in January

HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – A Hopkinsville man pleaded guilty to a federal charge for damaging religious property after inflicting $20,000 worth of damage to Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in downtown Hopkinsville earlier this year.

According to court documents, on Jan. 28 and 29, 2025, Marley R. Taylor, 27, of Hopkinsville, destroyed a statue of Mary holding baby Jesus located at the church on East Ninth Street by using an axe to chop off both statues’ heads. Taylor admitted that he intentionally decapitated the statue of Mary and Jesus because he believed people prayed to the statue as an act of worship, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Kentucky. The statue had been hand carved from marble and imported from Italy.

Taylor pleaded guilty to damage to religious property in a one count Information on Nov. 3. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 10, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. If the court accepts the terms of the plea agreement, Taylor faces a penalty of not more than 3 years in prison and payment of not less than $35,935 in restitution. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

“I would like to thank our federal partners for their constant support in helping us protect the citizens of Hopkinsville from those that choose to threaten our quality of life,” said Chief Jason Newby of the Hopkinsville Police Department. “Citizens have the right to live in a society where their beliefs and safety should never be violated by those who threaten either with violence. We will continue working together to ensure our commitment to make Hopkinsville a safer community remains successful.”

This case is being investigated by the FBI Bowling Green Satellite Office and the Hopkinsville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Raymond McGee, of the U.S. Attorney’s Paducah Branch Office, and Trial Attorney Julia White of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.